Francis David Langhorne Astor

Originally published in the Britannica Book of the Year. Presented as archival content. Learn more.

This article was originally published in the Britannica Book of the Year, an annual print publication that
provides an overview of the year’s most-notable people and events.
Unlike most articles on Britannica.com, Book of the Year articles are not reviewed and revised after their initial publication.
Rather, they are presented on the site as archival content, intended for historical reference only.

Francis David Langhorne Astor, British newspaper editor (born March 5, 1912, London, Eng.—died Dec. 7, 2001, London), as editor of The Observer from 1948 to 1975, was largely responsible for turning the paper’s viewpoint from a conservative, establishment-supporting one to espousal of a number of liberal causes, including anticolonialism, human rights, and prison reform. He came to be considered one of the most outstanding and influential 20th-century editors.